All Rise...

Editor's Note

The Charge

Keep the faith. Steal the rest.

Opening Statement

Ice Cube continues his transition from AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted to Mr.
Are We There Yet?, and this time he
brings Tracey Morgan, Katt Williams, and Chi McBride along for the ride. As a
comedy, First Sunday is hit-or-miss, but as a story of redemption and
doing what's right, it's a feel-good movie I don't mind recommending.

Facts of the Case

Durell Washington (Ice Cube, Are We
There Yet?) is a guy who can fix anything, but he's going nowhere because he
keeps getting into scrapes with his buddy LeeJohn (Tracy Morgan, Saturday
Night Live). LeeJohn's latest scheme has the pair delivering pimped-out
wheelchairs across town for some Jamaican gangsters. When the two get caught by
the cops (losing the chairs in the process), they get stuck with five thousand
hours of community service and $12,000 in debt to the Jamaican. If that weren't
bad enough, Durell's going to lose his son if he can't come up with seventeen
grand to keep his son's mother's hair salon open. Without the cash, she's
packing them up to Atlanta, and with Durell's record, he can't leave the state.
In desperate straits, Durell and LeeJohn decide to steal the building fund from
a local church. When they open the safe, they realize someone has beaten them to
the punch. They decide to hold the inhabitants of the church hostage to find the
culprit. Naturally, things don't go quite as planned.

The Evidence

First Sunday gets a lot of mileage out of its "Oh no, they
didn't" storyline. Having two would-be hoods rob a church is funny enough,
but to have them discover that someone more respectable-looking has beat them to
it is the icing on the cake. This fish-out-of-water element is the most
consistently funny element of the film, and Ice Cube and Tracy Morgan milk it
for all its worth. However, I didn't find it worth that much as a comedy.

Katt Williams is the funniest part of First Sunday. I would say I
laughed out loud at seventy-five percent of his lines, and his looks are
devastatingly funny. He goes for completely over the top and hits it out of the
park every time. Tracy Morgan, however, didn't really do it for me as LeeJohn.
Really, it's not his fault, since I don't find "dumb" characters
funny. I wish they'd given him a few more physical moments of comedy, since
those were his funniest. Ice Cube is the straight man for the entire film, and
he succeeds more often than not. When he's on, he does the exasperated (but
caring) friend like nobody else, but sometimes he coasts by on the fact that he
just looks like a heavy guy. The dramatic part of his performance was uneven,
but got better as the film progressed.

First Sunday really gets it right in the dramatic department. The
film weaves two threads, the father/son relationship and the
robbers/church-goers relationship, and lets them drive each other to effective
emotional heights. I didn't laugh much throughout First Sunday, but I
found myself getting choked up at the end when everything gets resolved.
First Sunday has a message about parental responsibility, but it never
gets preachy or boring. Instead, it succeeds in presenting positive images of
parenting, something lacking in a lot of comedies no matter their audience.

In terms of drama, the actors acquit themselves nicely. Chi McBride (who I
last saw on in a role the opposite of this one on House, M.D.) plays the
pastor with easy authority. Malinda Williams is fun as pastor's daughter/love
interest, while Regina Hall plays the former flame and baby mama. Michael Beach
stands out as the oily deacon, and Keith David deserves a shout out as the judge
who gives our heroes the five thousand hours of community service. Morgan
handles his dramatic duties well, turning on the pathos when he gives the
audience LeeJohn's back story.

Sony gives us First Sunday in an appropriately appointed package.
Director David E. Talbert claims he was going for a gritty, John Landis feel for
the film, and this transfer does the grit justice. The audio is pretty excellent
for a comedy. Although there is little directionality, the dialogue and music
come through clearly.

There are also enough extras to fill a collection plate. David E. Talbert's
commentary is interesting, although he gets a bit repetitious. He spends a lot
of time on the casting, set design, and his theories on making movies. He's
engaging, and his insights are worth a listen. There are some deleted scenes,
most of which are extended scenes that flesh out dramatic moments, with optional
commentary by Talbert. After the deleted scenes, we get a gag reel with the
usual flubs. In addition, there's a section of outtakes from both Katt Williams
and Tiffany "New York" Pollard. Williams is hilarious in his scenes
with spot-on improv. Pollard's pretty funny as well, although I find her
character gets obnoxious more quickly. There's also a wrap speech from director
David E. Talbert. It's a nice emotional moment, the kind of thing we don't often
see from directors. Finally, there's a fact track that plays over the movie
giving out bits of info, including some much-needed explanation of some of what
the Jamaicans were saying.

The Rebuttal Witnesses

I didn't dig the Mordecai scene. Tracy Morgan's performance was great, but I
could see the gag coming from a mile away (not to mention it's been done
before). It slowed everything down and added an unnecessarily sleazy element to
the film.

Those looking for another Friday film will be disappointed. First
Sunday is closer to Are We There
Yet? than it is to the Friday franchise.

Closing Statement

I didn't laugh much during First Sunday, but I'm certainly glad I
watched it. While the drama that underpins the comic elements worked really well
for me, others may be more inclined to appreciate the film's comedic charms.
Whether you watch it as a comedy or a feel-good drama, it's worth a look if the
trailer or premise piqued your interest.